Water protection device



June 19, 1934. R ZUBER' 1,963,539

WATER PROTECTION DEVICE Filed Oct. 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORATTORNEYS June 19, 1934. I R, ZUBER 1,963,539

, I WATER PROTECTION DEVICE Filed Oct. 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR 60559745. Z0555.

I & W

ATTORNEYS Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATERPROTECTION navrca Robert B. Zuber, Birmingham, Ala.

Application October 25, 1932, Serial No. 639,521

2 Claims. (01. -41) My invention relates to water cooling means for therolls of rolling mills and to devices for protecting the hot metal beingrolled from contact with the cooling water. In order to maintain therolls used for rolling hot steel at a constant shape and to preventcontraction and expansion, it is necessary to flood the surfaces of therolls with cooling water and thus to take up the heat given up to therolls by the hot metal.

In the cooling arrangements heretofore used, no means have been providedfor preventing the cooling water on the rolls above the hot metal fromdropping or flowing down onto the metal and chilling it, thus renderingthe metal harder to roll and slowing down the production of the mill.

Objects of my invention are to provide a cooling apparatus for the rollsof a rolling mill in which the dripping of water onto the hot metalbeing rolled will be substantially prevented; and

to provide means whereby water flowing or dropping downwardly over thesurface of a roll will be intercepted and withdrawn before it can reachthe .hot metal.

The various features of the invention are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a plan View of a rolling mill,part of the supporting frame extending above the rolls being shown insection.

Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sectional and side views taken on the lines2-2 and 3-3 of Figs. 1 and 2, respectively.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on a larger scale of the upper roll on line2--2 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail sectional views of water intercepting devices.In my present invention water is applied to the upper and intermediaterolls of a rolling mill either by means of troughs, or other devices,that bring a body of water into contact with the surface of the roll, orby spraying jets. of water against the surface of the roll. This watermay be permitted to flow down the surface of the roll, preferably inthin films, so as to increase the cooling effect. however, interceptedbefore-it reaches that part of the roll that is being brought intocontact with the metal to be rolled and is removed from the surface ofthe roll except for a thin film of adhering moisture which rapidlyevaporates before being brought into contact with the hot metal.

The intercepting devices comprise wearing strips or scrapers resilientlypressed against the The down-flowing water is' surface of the roll toscrape off the water and permit it to flow into receivers from which itis conveyed out of further contact with the rolling apparatus.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the inventionis illustrated as applied to a three-high mill having an upper roll 10,an intermediate roll 11, and a lower roll 12 supported in suitableframework 13. The upper roll 10 is cooled by means of a water trough 14having an open bottom which rests on the upper surface of the roll 10and which is provided with a sealing strip or plate 15 of rubber orother resilient flexible material which is pressed by the-weight ofwater in the trough 14 against 7 the surface of the roll sufliciently toprevent excessive escape of water from the trough. The trough 14 issecured to the framework of the mill by means of pins 16, one at eachend. A constant supply of water is maintained in the trough 14 from asupply pipe 17. The level of water in the trough 14 is maintainedconstant by means of overflow pipes 18 which convey the overflow waterto the bearings 19 of the middle or intermediate roll 11; At each sideof the roll 10, preferably on about a level with the center of the roll,are water receivers or strippers each consisting of a trough 20 carriedon a lever 21 suspended from a pivot 22 above and somewhat inwardly ofthe rolls 10 so that the troughs 20 tend to swing into contact with thesurface of the roll.

A weight 23 carried on a horizontal projecting arm 24 of the lever 21serves additionally to press the troughs 20 against'the surface of theroll.

Each trough 20 is provided with a wearing strip or scraper 25 ofebonite, or other suitable material, which bears against the surface ofthe roll 10 as the troughs 20 are pressed against the rolls by theweights 23. The water flowing down the surface of the roll 10 is,therefore, intercepted by the wearing'strips or scrapers 25 and conveyedinto the troughs 20, from whence it flows sidewise past the ends of therolls and is permitted to fall downwardly. In this way all water, excepta thin wetting film which immediately evaporates, is prevented frompassing downwardly into contact with, or fro dropping onto, the hotmetal that passes between the 05 rolls 10 and 11.

The roll 11 is cooled by means of jets of water projected against thesurface of the roll from a horizontal pipe 26' having a number of jetopenings. The water thus projected onto the roll 11 tends to flowdownwardly but is intercepted by a stripper or scraper 27 of ebonite, orother suitable material, carried on the end of a lever 28, the outer endof which is actuated by a re- 5 silient means such as a spring 29 topress the scraper or stripper 27 intocontact with the roll The roll 11may also be cooled by means of a jet of cooling water 30 projected froma nozzle 31 horizontally across the surface of the roll on the side thatis moving upwardly.

The action of the jet is such as to carry any water not immediatelyevaporated horizontally past the edge of the roll and thus prevent anexcessive quantity from flowing downwardly. The lower roll 12 may becooled by jets of cooling water from horizontal pipes 32 and 33 pro-J'ected against the lower part of the roll. As the hot metal only comesinto contact with the upper part of the roll and the amount of waterthat is carried upwardly of the jet 32 is negligible, no interceptingdevices are necessary on this roll.

Through the above invention the surfaces of the rolls are adequatelycooled by an abundant supply of water so that heating and distortion areprevented while, at the same time, contact of this water with the hotsteel or other metal being rolled is substantially prevented. Theimproved protecting devices, therefore, permit the making it possible toobtain more passes through the rolls with a single heating than haveheretofore been possible. The capacities of the mills are thereby raisedand, moreover, the rolls and bearings are subjected to less wear thanwith the cooling devices heretofore used.

What I claim is:

1. A rolling mill comprising a vertical series of rolls, an open bottomtrough on the topmost roll having the bottom closed by the upper surfaceof said roll, water intercepting means below said trough, saidintercepting means comprising a contact strip, means to press said stripagainst the surface of said roll, and a water receiving trough toreceive water removed from said roll by said strip.

2. A rolling mill comprising a vertical series of rolls, an openbottomtrough on the topmost roll having the bottom closed by the upper surfaceof said roll, water intercepting means below said trough, saidintercepting means comprising a contact strip, means to press said stripagainst the surface of said roll, a water receiving trough to receivewater removed from said roll by said strip, means for spraying wateragainst the surface of a roll below said topmost roll, and means belowsaid spray for removing excess water from the surface of said roll.

ROBERT B. ZUBER.

